The Ten Greatest of All Time

Imagine if you will, that the ten greatest philosophers of all time suddenly came back to life and descended on Ivy League schools.  Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Socrates and others came back to life and went to major universities.    Or perhaps the ten greatest musicians in all of history resurrected and went to Julliard.  In walks Bach, Brahms, and Beethoven, among others, to instruct how music should be written, conducted, or played.  Again, what would happen if the ten most brilliant military commanders of all history appear at West Point to teach; Julius Caesar, Hannibal, Stonewall Jackson, Chief Joseph, Alexander of Macedonia are ready to inspire the next generation of officers.  Finally, consider the result if the 10 most beautiful women or handsome men appear in Hollywood to begin shooting movies. 

You get the picture.  If such a thing were to happen, it would be the sole topic of conversation around the world.  Every network would end regular programing so that they could dedicate 24/7 camera time to these living icons of past ages.  The Internet would explode with coverage.    Entire segments of our world would be dedicated to nothing other than following every move these people make.  Books, magazines, e-books, photo journals would be printing to cover every nuance of the second lives of these people.

At least today that is what would happen.

But when it happened before it was almost unnoticed.  In Matthew 28:52-53, we read:  The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.  And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. (NASB)  This is the only reference to this resurrection of a group of people.  This event is treated as if it were really not a very big deal.  Matthew gives it less than 35 words.  It doesn’t even appear in Mark, Luke, or John.   It is kind of incredulous that a mass resurrection would occur, but be treated as of little importance.  

Until we see it is put in juxtaposition to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  In light of that grand event, nothing else in all of the universe is very significant.  An eight-foot rowboat is inconsequential when set beside an aircraft carrier.   When compared to a state funeral for a great President, wiping a crushed cockroach off the sole of your shoe is no big deal.  There is no way to contrast the wedding of the Crown Prince of a great Empire with a 4^th grade school dance.  A flashlight is nothing compared to a star.  And the resurrection of the saints of old is just barely a footnote when set beside the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.

We who have placed our hope in the One who was on the cross and Who left the tomb empty, have a treasure beyond words.  But, I fear our familiarity with the telling and retelling, hearing and rehearing, recalling and re-recalling of this event may cause us to fail to notice its grandeur.   Take a moment to consider how utterly huge, unparalleled, and beyond comparison is the reality of the Cross and empty tomb.  Everything else in history is less than a period at the end of Gone With the Wind when compared with the greatest of all events.  

In the Cause of Christ

Charlie

MLK Day 2015

Last night, in a small rural, southern town we had our Monday night Bible study.  We met in a church building that is associated with a pretty conservative fellowship.  As we finished up, a couple of the ladies wanted to pray with my wife.  I excused myself from their presence.  One of the ladies had an infant on her lap so I volunteered and took the baby to the foyer while they prayed.

It seemed like a fitting end to MLK day 2015.  A white, middle aged, gray haired, conservative from a former generation holding and enjoying the company of an adorable little girl who happens to be black.  This would have been unthinkable not that long ago.  We have come a long way in matters of civil rights.  I am thankful for a father who may not have been on the front lines of the civil rights movement, but who was an advocate of integrating churches and who loved people regardless of any labels people might have stuck on them.  I remember my dad asking the church to pray for Jimmy Carter’s church when, during his Presidential campaign, it was faced with its all white character.  The church had a policy of refusing membership to ‘Negros’ and ‘Civil rights agitators’.  My Father’s position was not commonly shared 40 years ago.  Dad never made a big deal of it all.  It was just the right thing to do and doing the right thing shouldn’t be a big deal. 

Fast forward 38 years and I’m holding, and praying for a black baby in a church that 50 years ago may not have admitted the child’s grandmother; times have changed.  But there is another reason this is especially appropriate for a day in which we celebrate civil rights.  This Bible study is part of a Crisis Pregnancy Center; the mother of this baby is a single mom who chose life.  Nothing is a greater violation of the rights of an individual than the act of abortion.  The disproportionate number of black children that are aborted ought to make us question how much progress we have really made.

I would like to challenge you to plan now to educate yourself concerning the plight of the unborn, especially the unborn of color.  If you combined all the deaths since 1973 of African Americans from AIDS, Violent Crimes, Accidents, Cancer and Heart Disease it would only be a little more than 1/3 the number of African Americans that have been aborted.

I remember my dad mocking the KKK to their face as they collected money at a four way stop in a little southern town.  I knew he held them in justifiable distain.  But I wonder if in the judgment, the KKK will stand up to condemn the abortion providers and those of us who have remained silent at this the greatest tragedy in human or civil rights history. 

For your review, what does it mean to be in-human.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q04-l2cm1oQ

Is Jesus Cool?

Since cool is hard to define it is difficult to be sure if Jesus is cool.  But it seems that many churches are working to make sure Jesus and Christianity are cool.  I don’t want to sound like an old cantankerous Pharisee, but these efforts are leaving me a little tetchy.

I know the church has to be relevant.  It has to speak to a new generation.  It has to communicate the unchanging message in the ever-changing language of the unchurched.  I know all these things; I said all of these things 30+ years ago when I was arguing the merits of taking the youth group to a Petra concert. 

This was brought to mind recently when a saw a list of church names compiled by Christianity Today.  Here are a few that caught my eye:

Oasis Church  

Paradox

Renaissance Church

Origins

Legacy

Tapestry

Relevant

Radiant

Elevate

Illuminate

Matthew's Party

The Salvage Yard

Sandals

Compass

Paradox

2 Pillars Church

Immersion

Impact

Urban Refuge

EpicLife Church

Liquid

I’m not questioning the faith, sincerity, or effectiveness of any of these churches.  I’ve not attended, nor do I know any of these churches.  What concerns me is the faddishness that seems to be creeping into the Church, and names are just the example of the day. 

Over the last 30 years, we have seen fads sweep the church like flu in a day care.  Each seemed to promise a spiritual awakening, or a dynamic renewal, or a new and more effective way to do something.  Each had its flash; each had a conference with a book, a three ring binder, and a set of cassettes (followed by cd, then DVDs, then podcast).  Now you can buy the books second hand for a quarter.

In Acts 6, we see the choosing of seven to serve the needs of Greek widows.  What we sometimes miss is the job description of the Apostles.   “…And will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4.  Not flashy, not hip, not cool and certainly way to simple for a conference.  “Talk to God about people, talk to people about God.” 

It is my sincere hope that all these churches with cool names will faithfully proclaim the Gospel, and will be faithful in making disciples.  My point is not traditional verses cutting edge.  My point is that we not get so enamored with cool stuff and attempts to make Jesus and the Church cool that we forget the basics. 

How about this for a cool church name, “Double Talk Church”....

Moving Beyond our Comfort Zone

What is the point of moving Beyond Haran?  If you will notice in the verse posted to the right it says that Terah, Abram's daddy, set off for the promise land.  Now we know that the call came to Abram.  God was calling Abram to something very special.  But it was Terah who took the lead in the move from Ur to the land of promise.  Perhaps Terah understood that God was doing something remarkable in the life of Abram and wanted to be a part.  Maybe he wanted Abram to fulfill his calling.  Maybe he did not want to be separated from Abram.  For what ever reason Terah set out leading his family to the promised land.  When they got to Haran they settled there.  For Haran this was a return to home, of sorts, for Terah.  It was the ancestral home.  It was the good ole days, the comfortable past, the understandable and expected routine.  It was away from Ur, which is what God wanted.  It was in the right direction.  Terah got about half way to the land of the promise and he settled there

How many of use set out for the grand dream that God has for us, we make some progress, we get to a comfortable place and we settle there.  

• I see it when a person is able to avoid the extremes of some sin or vice, but they are not really living a life of holiness.  
• I see when organizations and businesses grow to the point that they are meeting the bills and staying in the black and hit a wall, and so they stop growing.  
• I see it in churches that grow to large enough to do okay, but not so large as to be uncomfortable.  
• I see it any time someone moves toward their potential, makes progress, and then settles.  
• I see it in the mirror almost every day.

I know that God loves me no matter what I do, or how much I succeed or fail.  My value is determined by the relationship fact that God is my Father and I, by adoption, am a prince.  But as a prince I want to move beyond Haran to complete the grand adventure the Father has given to me.  I want to move Beyond Haran.

Charlie